Starting Anew
by Elosion12
Summary: It's been four months since he left. I've been empty for so long, I just can't take this place any more. Too many memories. So I'm starting anew. Moving to a brand new city. Fell's Church, Virginia.
1. Chapter 1

"Bella, please stay." Charlie begged from behind my bedroom door.

I sniffled. "Charlie, I can't. Everything reminds me of him. _Everything_." My knees gave out and I fell to the floor, streams of tears wrote rivers down my face. "I need a fresh start. Tell Jacob I'm sorry." I pulled myself off the floor and finished packing my suitcase. Charlie knocked on the door once more and slowly opened the door only to have me jerk it open all the way and storm past him down the stairs.

"Bella! Where will you go?"

My plan hadn't gotten that far. What's a random state? Hmm... "_Virginia_!"


	2. Chapter 2

Arriving in Virginia was different. I didn't need as many long sleeved shirts as I did in Forks but I needed more than I did in Phoenix.

"Hey _you_!" I looked away from the dark and blurring scenery outside and turned my full attention to the bus driver. "Where are you getting off at?"

I blushed, embarrassed since I didn't know where I was going. "Here is fine." I quickly gathered my bags and cases from my seat and disembarked the shuttle. As the bus sped off down the street, the realization that I was alone in a town in the middle of Virginia hit me like a truck.

Walking down the street, I saw no apartment complexes, just modernized Victorian style single-family homes all in identical colors hiding in the night.

After ten minutes of walking, I came upon a tall Victorian house with a single car parked out front. The black car was flashy, even in the dark. Its ovoid headlights shone bright, illuminating the garage it was parked in front of. There was a sign in the front yard with a small gas powered lantern on top. It read: 'Fell's Church Boarding House'.

I approached the boarding house slowly, lethargic from the cross-country travel. Knocking on the front door, I realized I must be waking someone up and I instantly felt bad for it.

No lights had flicked on inside so I began to turn away from the house when the door flew open. The sudden movement scared me and my balance faltered, causing me to fall back and slam the side of my head on the wooden railing. My vision blurred and as hard as I tried to keep my eyes open, my brain evidently didn't agree because I passed out moments later.

* * *

The first thing I recognized when I woke up was pain. My head hurt _a lot_. I began to moan in pain but was cut off when something cool touched the side of my head.

"Here, this'll help," comforted a male stranger. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

I waved off the apology, my hand felt like Jell-o. "S'kay. M'clumsy." My speech was slurred, it was as if I was drunk.

The stranger chuckled a bit. "Are you tired?" I nodded shortly. "Go to sleep. I won't hurt you, you can trust me."

"Mhmm," was all I could say.

* * *

Even though I had moved across the country, the nightmares continued. The screaming and thrashing continued but half way through the nightmare, everything stopped.

The mossy forest floor turned to a field of flowers filled with lilacs and the naked shrub-like plants transformed into beautiful, tall, and fragrant cherry blossom trees.

I slowly uncoiled myself from the fetal poisition I was in and I stared at the beauty around me. The dreary sky overhead cleared and the sun peaked out from between the clouds. "What is this?" I questioned, staring at the clarity and detail of everything around me. "I'm dead, aren't I?" I asked myself. "Oh god, Charlie's going to _kill_ me. Wait, he can't! I'm already dead!" I fell into the patch of flowers, sighing. "Well, at least I went to heaven."

"You aren't dead," spoke a strange voice from behind me. I shot up and turned around to see a tall, muscular figure approaching me. His features were strong and masculine, foreign in a way. His dark, wavy hair moved as a breeze wafted through it. He was gorgeous, more gorgeous than-

No. That's not true. They were of equal splendor, this one was just...different. His eyes were hooded by his brow and his lips had a chiseled look; like an Italian sculpture. A small smile graced his lips as he walked through the sunlight, his skin glistening.

It wasn't a vampiric glisten, not embedded diamonds in smooth, marble skin, more like…shining quartz. The smile brought me some comfort but it also sent shivers down my spine. I took in his form and realized this man was similar to…_Edward_ in many ways.

Aside from the illuminated skin, his body held that perfect physique that remained unchanged by time and his eyes spoke of an ancient sadness.

His clothes were semi-casual and emphasized his shape. The black turtle neck hugged his muscles tightly, that if he flexed his bicep, I was sure the sleeve would disintegrate. His dark washed jeans fit loosely and he wore a ring with a blue gem surrounded by a silver band.

I stuttered, astonished by this figure before me. "I'm not?"

He chuckled slightly and shook his head, by now he had reached me and he stood three inches from me. "No, you aren't dead," He smiled gently. "Now may I ask you a question?" Nodding, blush crept to my cheeks. "Who _are_ you?"

I giggled, amused by his curiosity about plain, old Bella Swan. "I'm Bella. Who are you and what _is_ this place?"

As he laughed, the musical sound filled my senses and reverberated off the surrounding forest. "_That_ is a question for another day, but now…"

His face transformed, and he became a different man. The nose became sharper and the hair browner and worn straighter. And his _eyes_, the eyes that once reminded me so much of Edward that it was scary, now became vengeful but identical in their hazel-butterscotch color.

He attacked me then, I didn't get to experience the extent of the attack, which I was glad for, because I was awoken by a hand clasping over my mouth.

My eyes shot open and I attempted to peel the hand away from my mouth but the owner of the hand was very strong, he wasn't budging, not even an inch.

"Shh, calm down. Nothing's going to hurt you." The voice was familiar, I recognized it from my dream and as my eeys adjusted to the darkness, I saw the face was from my reverie as well.

I gasped. "You..."

He smiled. "Yes?"

Clearly, I had to be going insane. It wasn't a power, I know that because in the dream, his skin didn't reflect the sun like a diamond throwing around rainbows. I shook my head and sighed. "Nothing, nevermind. Now, uh, where am I?" I looked around the room and a large, ornate and wooden box caught my eye. Strangely attracted by the detailed carvings within the brazilian rosewood, I slowly stood and approached the box, facinated by the simplicity yet difficulty of the box. There was no hinge, no crack to indicate that it was a jewelry box yet I had the feeling that something hid within it.

As the stranger apporached me, I carressed the box gently, admiring every flaw that made the box one of a kind. Despite the fact that I was in a stranger's room, not a shread of fear had taken ahold of my heart. I turned the box upside down and discovered a small crack on the bottom of the box. It wasn't a crack from old age, the line was straight as an arrow and there were three more lines connecting it, making a box.

I pushed on the small box just as the stranger screamed, "No don't!" The box fell from the rosewood stained box and out fell a shiny object. Before it hit the ground, I caught it swiftly just seconds before the man who owned it did.

I peered at the shine of the object and realized the object was a ring. The blue jewel was cast in silver and though it looked antique, there was no sign of aging on the ring. I twisted the ring between my fingers, mesmerized by the gorgeous detail. I looked to the man and he stared at me, his mouth agape. I looked back to the ring, blushing. "Um, this is a very beautiful ring."

He stepped forward and snatched the ring from my hand. "Thank you but I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't touch my belongings," he paused for a moment before continuing. "Are you alright? You hit your head pretty hard."

I touched the right side of my head gently, flinching at the touch. "Uh, yeah, I think I'm fine." I glanced at him and he seemed so familiar. "Have I met you somewhere before?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so, no. I'm Stefan."

I smiled slightly. "I'm…Isabella." I gave Stefan my full name because I needed a fresh start, I didn't want to be Bella Swan from Forks, Washington or from Phoenix, Arizona. I wanted to start out as Isabella Swan from…where ever this place was, Virginia.

Stefan smiled. "Pleasure, Isabella. Now, why were you knocking on the boarding house door this time of night?"

I frowned a bit. "I just moved here from Washington to start over. I didn't have enough money for a house and I saw this boarding house so I knocked but then I remembered what time is must be. I wanted to know if there were any rooms open."

Stefan nodded, understanding my situation. "I'm not sure, you'll have to ask Mrs. Flowers once she's awake but for now, you can stay here, I don't mind."

I smiled. "Thank you, you're very kind." He looked at the blue ring; his eyes were staring through it, back to a memory perhaps. "Are you okay?"

He looked up from the ring and slid on his finger without a thought. "Yes, I'm fine. Do you have clothing with you?" Before I could answer, he continued. "Good, I need to go...out. I should be back by first light."

He rushed out the door and left me sitting on his bed, alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Even though Stefan said he wouldn't hurt me, I wasn't going to risk falling asleep in a stranger's bed. I lay on the mattress my hair cascading around me when I realized I hadn't taken a shower in a few days. Ew.

I rose from the bed and stumbled through the darkness, slowly making my way to the light switch. Once the room was lit and there were no more eerie shadows lingering in the corners, I made my way to one of two doors in the room.

The first door I opened was a closet, there were dark and cool colored sweaters and t-shirts hanging neatly with a row of shoes on the floor. I frowned and closed the door, walking to the second. Behind the door, a small half bathroom awaited me.

I turned on the light and walked to the cream colored tub. Kneeling on the floor, I fidgeted with the faucets until the water was the correct temperature. I stuck my head under the warm water and soaked my hair. Not wanting to waste any water, I turned it off, lathered my hair with shampoo, and then washed it out. After conditioning my hair and wrapping it in a towel I had packed, I stood and approached the mirror.

My reflection startled me.

My eyes lacked their shine and dark circles were developing under them. I pulled the towel off my head and my damp hair fell to my waist. I removed my comb and blow dryer from one of my bags and began to fix my hair. As I dried and combed my hair, my mind wandered to the dream I had last night. Stefan looked exactly like the man from the dream. There was a second man who looked similar, almost like a brother.

Afterwards, my hair lay straight and to my butt and I dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a shirt. The shirt's scent was sickly sweet, it smelled like Edward, even after being washed. I groaned and pulled the shirt off, proceeding to sniff my jeans. They also smelled like the Cullens. My entire wardrobe that I had packed smelled like them, I threw all the clothes into a pile on top of my suitcase in the corner, except for a pair of jeans and a shirt, and grabbed a sheet of paper and pen from Stefan's desk.

_Stefan,  
I know you told me to stay here but I needed to do some emergency shopping.  
I'll be back shortly, call me if you need me.  
7575551216.  
Isabella._

I don't know why I wrote down my number but at any rate, it was good for him to have it. In case anything would happen. I slipped on some flip flops and walked out of Stefan's room and taped the note to the door before strolling down the stairs.

There was a kind old woman in the front room, probably Mrs. Flowers. She noticed me and gave me a short nod and a smile. "Hello, darling. Is there something I can do for you?"

I approached the desk and smiled. "Actually, I was wondering if you have any open rooms. It doesn't need to be anything big."

She smiled. "Yes, I actually have a few rooms open. There's one on the second floor, room 11."

"Great, that sounds perfect." Wait, didn't Stefan have room 10?

"Alright. One week is one hundred and eighty two but most of my guests pay by month, a month is only six-fifty."

Whoa. A little pricey. "A month sounds perfect." I handed her the six hundred and fifty dollars and walked out of the boarding house into the crisp autumn morning.

The moon was high in the sky above the surrounding houses, it was about one-thirty. I took a late night bus to the local mall to buy some new outfits, though I wasn't sure what stores would be open at this time.

When I arrived here in Virginia, I had twenty-thousand dollars with me, my entire bank account. That amount has been diminished to thirteen thousand and fifty. After shopping, it was twelve thousand and fifty.

Yes, I spent a thousand dollars on clothing. I hate shopping but I needed clothing. I wasn't going to wear my old clothes, the memories were too fresh and raw.

While I was waiting for the bus, my phone rang. The number wasn't one I was familiar with but it was most likely Stefan.

"Hello?"

"Isabella, it's Stefan. Are you alright?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just needed to get some new clothes."

"But you have an entire pile of clothes laying in the corner of my room." He answered, puzzled.

"I know but it's a long story."

"I've got time," he stated. "Besides, Mrs. Flowers tells me you have time too, she says you've moved in next door."

So he was my neighbor, wonderful. "Uh...yeah. Something like that." The bus approached the stop and I mentally thanked god for the timing. "Stefan, why don't we continue this conversation later, my bus is here, bye." I hung up on him without giving him a chance to respond.

The bus ride was too short for my liking. It didn't give me enough time to organize my upcoming conversation with Stefan in my mind.

"Hey lady! Are you gonna get off or what?" snapped the bus driver. It was the same driver who had dropped me off here last night.

I stood silently, gathered my things, and stepped off the bus which was conveniently parked in front of the boarding house.

I walked inside and up the stairs, stopping in front of my new room. Stefan's door opened and he appeared with a small smile, it wasn't genuine though. "Hello."

I smiled a bit. "Hey. Let me put these bags in my new room and I can come get my bags from yours."

"I already moved your bags to your room, including the clothing." I winced. "I didn't know if you would want them or not."

I opened the door and placed my shopping bags to the left of the door. "Thank you," I called to Stefan. "Give me a minute." I placed my purse on my bed and looked up to Stefan who stood in the hallyway. "You can come inside, you know."

He crossed the threshold and walked to a leather chair that sat in the corner. He cleared his throat. "So, why are you throwing out all of these clothes?"

I sighed and began to remove the clothes from the bags and hang them in my closet. "Because."

"Well that isn't a very good reason."

"I have my reasons, Stefan." Finding that hanging clothes wasn't much of a distraction, I ceased and sat on my bed.

I looked to him and he raised an eyebrow.

"Stefan, I don't want to talk about it."

He moved from the chair and sat beside me on the bed. "Well, alright." After an awkward moment of silence, I yawned. "Isabella, you should get some rest. You've had a long night." He rose and walked to the door. He smiled at me before turning out the light. "Good night, Isabella."

I yawned and laid down on my new bed. "Night." I was asleep almost instantly.


	4. Chapter 4

He was going to regret this, just wait until I got my hands on that sweet little girl of his...

* * *

Eventually the days and nights faded together, being a vampire had its perks but immortality could be one of the curses. I was forced to leave my dearest Isabella, the love of my life because of an accident and I would never speak with her again.

Footsteps echoed through the walls, Alice was running up the steps. To prevent talking to her, I scoped out her thoughts.

_Edward, you have to see this! I don't know what to make of it!_

She showed me her vision then.

_Bella, my Bella, sat on a bed with another man. The room was scarely decorated, not a woman's or a man's touch evident. A tear floated on her cheek and the stranger wiped it away. He gave her a small half smile and moved his face towards hers, their lips touched but he almost automatically pulled away. He stood on the opposite side of the room and stared into the empty space. I studied the vision and saw what had caught Alice's attention, his face had shifted. His eyebrows were furrowed together demonically, like a vampire of common lore. His eyes turned pitch black and his canines lengthened._

I growled. "_Alice_. What is he?"

She entered the room, her face panicked. "A vampire. But not like us."

I shot up from my positioning on my bed. "There are different kinds?" She shrugged. I placed my thumband fore finger on the bridge of my nose, though I couldn't get headaches, I was still agrravated. "Alice, go get Carlisle. We need to talk to him."

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock._

What was that annoying sound?

_Knock, knock._

My eyes fluttered open and I groaned. The knocking was coming from the direction of the door. I tilted my head toward the door and groaned again. A light chuckle came from outside my door. "Isabella, wake up, sleepy head. It's two in the afternoon. You're going to sleep the day away." I groaned again. He laughed and jiggled the doorknob. "Isabella, are you dressed?"

I sighed and turned toward the door, propping myself on one elbow. "Yeah, come on in." He opened the door and approached my bed. "Good morning. Well, afternoon." I smiled.

He chuckled and sat toward the foot of my bed. "How do you feel?" I was puzzled and he could tell because he clarified what he meant. "Your head?"

Oh, right. I placed my hand on the back of my head and flinched at the jolt of pain on the back of my skull. "Ow, sore." He touched my face and ran it back to the sore spot on the back of my head. "Careful." He smiled gently and lightened his touch. Running it through my hair and then lowering it to his lap.

"I'm sorry Isabella," he paused. "For knocking you over."

I laughed. "It's okay. I'm clumsy."

He chuckled. "Last time you sounded drunk when you said that. I know you didn't want to talk about it, but Isabella, why waste your money on new clothes when you have perfectly good clothes?"

My mood soured almost instantly. "I...had a rough patch in my old home. A guy." The wound in my heart began to ache and a broken sob escaped from my tightly sealed lips. "He..." Stefan placed a finger to my lips.

"I'm sorry Isabella. I didn't mean to make you cry." He wiped the tear from my cheek and looked into my eyes, he searched them for something. An answer to why I was crying, maybe? I didn't know but I was uncomfortable with how he was studying me. His palm carressed my cheek and he bent his face to mine slowly.

Wait, no! Why was I this close to a stranger's lips? Better yet...

Why didn't I care?

His lips touched mine for an instant but then they were gone. I opened my eyes to see Stefan standing on the other side of the room, facing away from me. His fists were clenched and the muscles under his shirt tensed. I moved toward the edge of the bed. "Stefan? Are you al-"

Before I could finish my question, he was out the door and I heard his slam shut.

* * *

Oh, this is great! This just keeps getting better and better! I looked upon the scene and before I could be spotted, I raced away into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

Calm down, Stefan. I leaned out the window, the cool wind calming me.

What was wrong with me? Why would I kiss Isabella? She's nothing like…

I cut the though short and shut the window with almost too much force. Overwhelmed, I sank down on to the bed and held my head in my hands. "Katherine…" I muttered to myself. "Why?"

Isabella's scream from downstairs interrupted my thoughts. I raced down the flight of stairs at vampiric speed to find Isabella in the hands of my brother.

Her face had paled to the color of a ghost as his fangs hovered just centimeters from her neck. "Damon!" I made a move to attack but he moved his teeth on to her neck.

He smirked. "Careful little brother. You wouldn't want something to happen to her, would you?" Isabella whimpered as his tongue caressed her throat.

I growled. "What do you want, Damon?"

He chuckled, retracting his fangs and straightening up. "Oh, you know what I want. I want what you have." His long index finger traced the vein in her neck. "Just like all those years ago…" He smirked evilly and before I could react, bit into Isabella's throat.

She screamed as he drained her of life. I ran toward him but he removed his demon teeth from her neck to warn me. "One more step and I rip her throat out." As he continued to feed from her, her legs gave out and her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

"Damon, stop." He continued. "Damon, you'll kill her." Ignoring the comment, he continued his feast on the innocent angel until he was filled.

He pulled away from her neck, gasping. "_Delicious_. I can't wait for more. Well, goodbye for now, little brother." He was gone almost instantly, allowing me access to Isabella.

* * *

"Carlisle! Carlisle! Where are you?" I ran through the huge mansion screaming for my father.

He appeared from around the corner. "Yes, Edward? What is it?"

"Why didn't you tell me there were different types of vampires?"

He blinked, a bit shocked. "Well, Edward, vampires are similar to a language. We have different 'dialects' so to speak. However, they lay low and are hard to find. Since some are prone to being burned to the sun. Why the interest?"

"Bella's gained the interest of one, that's why." Alice ran up beside me.

"Edward! There's more!"

_Blood dripped from her throat as the man, the _vampire_, hovered over her, pressing his bloody wrist to her mouth._

"_What_? He's changed her?" My vision turned red as anger and jealousy spread throughout me.

Alice raised a hand to stop me. "Not yet. There's still time."

Without a word, I raced out the door. I heard Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett follow suit.

* * *

I cradled her in my arms and shook her. "Isabella? Please wake up." She didn't move. Didn't _breathe_. I laid her on the ground and bit into my wrist, to heal her. I placed my bloodied wrist to her mouth and allowed my blood to drip into her mouth.


	6. Chapter 6

As I cradled Isabella in my hands, her face gained color with each passing second. Her breathing became more even and her eyes moved under her lids as she dreamed.

A strange energy, a large one, emitted itself from the bordering woods. As I studied the tree line, three men and two women appeared. The sun lit them like crystals, throwing rainbows in every direction.

Utterly confused, I didn't stray from Isabella's side as one of the men walked ahead of the other four and approached me.

He hissed and showed his teeth, just teeth, no fangs. "Drop her, now." It wasn't a suggestion, it was a demand.

I growled and my face shifted, I felt the bones pop and move underneath my skin, altering my appearance. I hissed as well and my fangs were blatantly evident. He studied my features as we stood in silence. "Who are you to tell me what to do?" I gently released Isabella from my caressing cradle and gently laid her on the grass. "I suggest you leave, all of you, now."

The man hissed and was about to charge when a small female interrupted his path and laid a hand on his chest. "Edward, there's no need for violence. You can talk it out like gentleman."

Edward hissed toward the small pixie-like figure. "_Talk_? He's _changed_ my Bella!"

"I don't believe she's yours. And what is this about 'changing' her?" These…vampires, I guess you would call them, were odd.

The second female joined Edward and the pixie. "We saw you give her your blood. We know what you are."

Baffled, I answered them anyway. "You've misunderstood. I haven't transformed her, if _that's_ what you're referring to. I've simply healed her."

As if on cue, I heard her stir behind me. I quickly knelt down to her side and combed her hair out of her eyes. "Isabella, are you alright? Can you hear me?" Her eyelids fluttered and as she opened her deep, beautiful chocolate eyes further, she squinted against the sun. "Isabella, do you remember what happened?"

She nodded slightly, then took a breath to prepare an answer. "Vampire." She slowly lifted her hand to her throat and was amazed when she found neither blood nor wound.

If I had a beating heart, it would be racing right now. "Isabella, do you know who…what, I am?"

She slowly sat up supporting herself with her arms and then looked into my eyes and nodded. "Vampire…" As she spoke the fateful word, she then looked past me at the five 'vampires' that were behind us. Her face was unreadable but then it turned to sorrow. "Edward…why are you here? Have you come to ruin my happiness again?" Her eyes fell to the ground.

As she finished speaking, I realized who this 'Edward' person was. He had hurt her. This was the man, no, _vampire_, who had broken her heart. Who had caused her nightmare the night I first met her.

I growled and launched myself at Edward full speed. I caught him off guard, rushing right past the two females and pinning him to a tree, his feet easily five inches above the ground. "_You_! _You_ were the one who hurt her? Who _scarred_ her? And now you turn up at her home?" I pulled him up then slammed him into the tree again. "I should kill you right now!"

"No…" I heard Isabella's weak protest from behind me. I turned my head so I was able to see her. She was supporting her weight on her hands, she had little to no strength. "Don't Stephan."

I gaped at her request. "What? But he _hurt_ you, Isabella!"

She shrugged. "So? Killing him won't make the pain go away."

Though I didn't want to, I dropped him. He growled but didn't make a move to attack me. I hissed. "Leave, _now_. Leave and never come back." There was an unsaid '_or else' at the end of the statement, I think Edward and his coven heard it._

_They growled but the vampires began to leave, except for Edward. The small pixie walked back to persuade him. "Edward, come on." She pulled his arm and spun him around and practically dragged him to the rest of his coven. Before he disappeared into the trees, he gave me a once-over and then vanished into the forest._


	7. Chapter 7

Isabella and I lay on her bed, she was still weak from being drained by my brother. After _Edward_ left, I had to carry up to her room, though she was alive her quality of life was lacking.

She lay in a deep sleep. Her breathing was slow, even, and relaxed. No nightmares tonight, at least not yet. Isabella sighed and shifted onto her side, conforming into me as she draped her arm across my chest. I smiled at her unconscious action and laid my hand over hers.

As I studied Isabella, she began to remind me more of Katherine. The way her long hair fell in waves when she slept, how piercing and beautiful her eyes were, how slight she was, so petite. Though Isabella had brown hair and chocolate eyes, her personality took me back to _Italia_, the day when I met Katherine...

_With my brother at my side, we talked as we strolled through the courtyard of our Italian mansion in late afternoon. We made small talk and laughed at each other but when a beautiful woman dismounted from her horse and walked toward us, we stopped and stared in awe._

_She giggled and curtsied slightly in her large gown. "_Signori buon pomeriggio_." Her voice melted my heart as she greeted us, me and my brother stumbled to answer her._

"Ciao, signora. Sei alla ricerca di qualcuno_?" It was my voice that answered her first, Damon huffed. Why would such a beautiful woman be out here in the middle of the forest? She must be lost._

_She laughed and nodded. "_Sì, lo sono perso. Ho bisogno di recasi a Roma_." Ah, so she was lost, she was on her way to Rome._

_Just as I was going to answer her, thunder boomed above us. Rain began to fall, and she squeaked as she ran toward our home, anxious to get out of the rain. I began to offer that she stay here for a night when Damon cut me off. "_Signora, volete stare qui per questa sera? Abbiamo una camera per gli ospiti al piano di soprai_." Damn, he beat me to the punch._

_She bowed her head and walked into my home as my brother opened the door, we followed close behind. I placed my right hand on her upper back and gestured up the stairs with my left. "_In questo modo perdere,_"_

Bella stirred in my arms. "Isabella, are you alright?" She coughed. I wish I could say it was a simple cough but this was a gut-wrenching cough. A cough that tells you something is seriously wrong. "Isabella?"

She gasped. "I don't feel good…" I laid my hand across her forehead and was alarmed at her temperature. "Stephan, what's happening to me?"

I caressed her cheek and whispered to her softly, "I don't know."

"We do." The voice alarmed me and I turned, fangs bared, ready to attack. Edward was there, standing calmly. "Calm down, we aren't here to fight. We just want to make Bella better. Carlisle, explain for him."

A somewhat tall, blonde man stepped around Edward and approached me. "My name is Carlisle and I believe I know why Isabella is suddenly ill."

I looked the man up and down, his eyes caught my attention, they were gold; I would make a note to ask him why later. "Why should I trust you?"

Carlisle smiled, kind and gently. "I'm a certified doctor. I would show you my degrees but I don't think you'd be able to understand it. Old English isn't very popular these days." He chuckled. "Back to Bella, here. It seems that your vampiric venom has clashed with ours."

I growled. "You've _bitten_ her?"

Carlisle held up his hands defensively. "No, not in that way. She was kidnapped once by a rogue vampire named James and he bit her. In order to keep her from changing, Edward had to suck out the venom."

I relaxed a bit. "I wasn't the one who bit her; my brother attacked her before you arrived. And what you're saying is that my venom is battling with yours inside her body?"

Carlisle nodded. "For the most part, yes. We can't be sure what will come of this, she may die or she may transform. The result is unknown, even to our Alice, who can see the future."

The one named Alice stepped forward and I recognized her from when Edward tried to attack. She shook her head. "It keeps changing. One minute she's dead, the next she's a vampire. She must be on the line of life and death."

"My kind is created by the victim dying. She would have to die to then be reanimated as a vampire." I stated coldly. Bella was going to die either way. What the outcome after that was, nobody knew.


	8. This is Very Important!

**I apologize for the readers who had their hope smashed when they found this A/N in place of the next chapter of one of my stories but I'm here to tell you that I'm going to start cleaning up. Which means, I'm going to stop starting random stories and work on the ones I have currently. Currently, I have nine stories. I haven't worked on some of them in forever and it annoys me.**

**So here's my plan.**

**On my profile, there is a poll. The question is "Which story should I update and work on first and foremost?" There are eight options. I did not put my story "A Perfectly Good Heart No More" as an option because it is on hiatus until I get around to redoing the entire story. Every other story is an option in the poll and you can only pick one.**

**Based on the poll, these will be the results:**

**The two stories with the most votes will be my primary projects.**

**All other stories will be put on hiatus until further notice.**

**If any story recieves zero votes it will be DELETED FROM FANFICTION. Although I wouldn't want to do that to something that I put a lot of work into, if it happens I will. There's no telling if I might republish it with a different name.**

**Thank you for understanding and helping me set my priorities.**

**Elosion12**


	9. This is Very Important! Part II

**Hello again, my readers!**

**Well, the results are in! I have closed the poll and I will now announce which two stories will become priorities.**

**In first place is "Starting Anew"**

**In second place is "Addicted to You"**

**And I am happy to say that NONE of my stories received zero votes. Therefore, none will be deleted! Yay!**

**Now, the other six stories are on hiatus until I feel that "Starting Anew" and "Addicted to You" are updated enough to my liking. I will then start updating the others, in sets of two.**

**In third place is "I Just Want You to Know Who I Am"**

**Fourth is "The Few, The Proud, The Marines"**

**In fifth is "Dear Edward"**

**In sixth place is "Assassin's Creed: Twilight"**

**In seventh is "A Hole of Darkness"**

**And in eighth place is "His Majesty is Found At Last"**

**So, that's that. I will start writing the next chapters now and will post them as soon as I can.**

**Elosion12**


	10. Chapter 8

As I moaned from the septic venoms battling throughout my body, Stephan's cool hand wiped away my pain-filled tears. "Shh," he whispered. "It's going to be okay, Isabella."

His sweet nothings, though sensitive and heartfelt, were just that, nothings. How could I believe that everything was going to be okay when I was so weak that I couldn't even open my eyes? As he continued his mantra of comments, I became even more irritated. I didn't want to hear him lie to me, I wanted to be alone.

Stephan's next comment was cut short by someone clearing their throat. "I suggest you stop. She wants to be alone." The harsh southern accent was unique and could belong to only one person, Jasper.

Stephan growled. "How do _you_ know that?"

His question was followed by footsteps that ended next to my bed. "I'm empathetic; I can feel emotions. And right now, Bella's emotions are saying 'get out.' I suggest you comply. Otherwise, she won't be very happy when she wakes up. She wants the rest of us to leave to." I felt Stephan stand from the edge of the bed and he retreated out of the room.

There were more footsteps, accompanied by some soft whispers, as the Cullen coven left my room. I breathed in relief but my relief was cut short as I heard someone approach the bed. They kneeled beside me and they're breath washed across my face. My body stiffened as I recognized the unnaturally sweet scent that was Edward Cullen.

"Bella, love, please just let me talk to you. I know you don't want me here, I can sense your anxiety. I just wanted to tell you that leaving was the worst thing I could've ever done. I'm so sorry, Bella. I still love you so much but it appears that you've moved on. As long as you're happy, I can survive. I will never stop loving you, Isabella Swan. I'll be waiting in the wings if you ever want me back." By the end of his monologue, tears were flowing down my cheeks and his hand had found mine and he squeezed it gently. "Don't cry, my love. I'm not angry that you've moved on. That is what I wanted in the first place, correct? Goodbye for now, Bella, love."

He laid a loving kiss on my forehead and left. When the door clicked close, something changed. The weakness and pain was gone but I _still _couldn't move. My limbs were paralyzed as a dreamlike scene appeared within my mind.

I was standing facing the only two men that had ever caused pure terror to overwhelm me. James and Damon. I wanted to scream, to run, to do _anything_ but I stood there, my body had a mind of its own.

James smiled evilly and approached me slowly, the panic rose with every step he took but I didn't move didn't even blink. "I was right. Simply a human, who was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and running with the wrong crowd." He lifted my wrist, the one with his bite mark on it, to his face and sniffed it, gently skimming his nose against my flesh. "This is going to be painful." He sank his teeth into my already scarred flesh but released me quickly. His apparition disappeared in an instant.

Damon approached me next, his features resembled his brother's so much that I didn't want to be afraid of that beautiful face, but I knew better than that. He grinned and moved to place his lips at my neck, the place he had bitten me a few hours ago. His cold, eerie breath sent shivers throughout my spine, he chuckled, enjoying the reaction. "I'll apologize for this later." His whisper vanished by the sound of fangs piercing flesh. Yet, like James, he removed his fangs almost immediately. He brought his own wrist to his mouth and bit down, then forcing the dream-blood to my mouth. "Drink." I obeyed without protest. My body was calm but my mind was reeling, panicking as to why I was having these hallucinations and why I couldn't control my body.

After only a few seconds of gorging myself on Damon's blood, he vanished as well. My eyes refocused on the James and Damon that were fifty yards away. As they walked towards me, I realized they were coming closer together, they would slam into each other if one didn't alter their course. However, they remained focused on me as they were so close together that it seemed they were meshing into one person. Wait, they were. As they continued to walk, they became one person. James's straight hair mixed with the honey brown of Damon's graced the man's head and his features made me weak in the knees. The stranger was blessed with Damon's strong cheekbones and nose but with James's square jaw and piercing blue eyes.

When he reached me, he smiled gently and pressed his perfect lips to mine, shocking me out of the dream and into reality.

* * *

**Jasper POV**

An ear-splitting scream came from next door, Stephan and the rest of my family rushed to Bella's room to find her thrashing on her bed wildly. Carlisle approached her, wearing the concerned face he usually saved for strange or painful diagnoses of his patients. He laid his hand on her forehead and recoiled from her in seconds. "She's on fire. Jasper, help me. She's still human so we need to secure her head so she doesn't harm herself." I rushed to his side and perched myself at Bella's head, holding two pillows on either side of her head. I fed her some waves of calm but she rejected them and threw me waves of pure torture.

"Carlisle, she's in a lot of pain." I told him, my voice hoarse from her emotions. "Is there anything we can give her?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not, son. She has to endure this pain without my medicine to ease it."

Bella quieted almost suddenly and then she opened her eyes. I expected the haunting blood red of a newborn but the pair of eyes that were staring at me in confusion were sky blue.


	11. Chapter 9

Jasper was the first person I saw when I opened my eyes. He was alarmed when he made eye contact with me and I sprung from my bed looking for the cause of his alarm.

Stephan approached me first, cautiously, and I straightened as he neared me. "Bella, are you…okay?"

Why wouldn't I be? I was immortal. I nodded. "Yes, why wouldn't I be okay?" His eyes were fearful and something registered then.

They think _I'm_ the threat. Oh.

"Guys, it's just me. I'm not going to kill anyone." Jasper stepped forward with his brows furrowed together in confusion. But, as his eyes scanned my body, his face went pale. I didn't think anyone could get any paler than a vampire but apparently it was possible. He gulped and then drew in his emotions. "Jasper, is everything okay?"

He shook his head. "I, uh, I'm not sure, Bella." As he finished, he reached for the window blinds next to him and yanked them down.

When the sunlight flooded the room, everyone sparkled. Well, everyone except me. I just grimaced and gripped my head in pain. Jasper was now in front of me with his hand on my arm. He was still cold, freezing cold, actually. He gasped at the temperature difference and as I looked to him, I could see something click. His eyes lit up with knowingness and then he replaced the blinds in front of the window. "Bella, does the sun hurt?"

I nodded. "It just gives me a migraine. I'm not about to go 'poof' though, if that's what you're asking."

Stephan walked to me, the fear in his eyes gone, and he laid a hand on my cheek. He was warm, but my skin also caught fire when he touched me. It felt like I was blushing, if I had still been human, I would've thought I was. "Bella, your eyes…" I looked down, of course he wouldn't be accustomed to the crimson red of newborn eyes. His eyes didn't change during the change. He placed a finger under my chin and lifted my eyes to meet his. "They're beautiful. Do you know what color they are?" Well, that was a dumb question, of course I did.

"Red," I deadpanned. He shook his head. "No? What do you mean '_no_?'"

"Isabella, your eyes are blue. They're beautiful, just like you." How could my eyes be blue? Unless…uh, oh. Oh, no.

I ran to the bathroom and my breath hitched as I saw what caught everyone's interest. I looked completely different. My hair was golden-brown and reached for my chest, it fell straight, no waves were left in my hair. And, as Stephan had said, my eyes were a bright, humanoid blue. My facial structure had changed too. My nose was sharper as were my cheekbones, like Damon. My jaw was strong and it scared me as a picture of James filled my head. I was absolutely stunned and I just stood there staring at myself when Jasper walked in. I ran my hands over my face and anxiety filled me as I thought to myself 'this isn't me.' Jasper shushed my thoughts and quickly answered my unspoken question.

"It's because you look like your sires, Bella." I shook my head, thinking of the man from my nightmare. "You have James' eyes and his jaw. Your nose, cheekbones and straight hair must come from Damon." I shook my head. "Don't worry, Bella. You aren't going to change emotionally."

I shook my head again and coughed, my throat was dry, scratchy and it burned like Hell. "I'm thirsty."

Jasper sighed. "Stephan," Stephan was inside the bathroom with us in seconds. "Where's your brother?"

"He's probably hiding in a tree somewhere, why? I heard her say she's hungry. Couldn't she just drink from a deer or something?" I stalked from the bathroom and passed the other six vampires standing in my room to lay on my bed, I could still hear the conversation as clear as day.

Jasper sighed in frustration. "I wish. However, unfortunately, Bella needs her first drink to be from her sire. She won't be able to digest any other blood and she'll die of starvation. In Bella's case, I'm not sure if she'd need a drink from both sires or not."

Edward cleared his throat. "Are you forgetting that James is dust in the wind?"

"No, I haven't forgotten. James wasn't who I was talking about though. Edward, you bit her to suck the venom out. Therefore, your venom is in her system, in miniscule amounts." My breath caught in my throat as my eyes landed on Edward. "Which means Bella will need to feed from you." I exhaled shakily.

"But, I, uh, I don't have any blood." Edward's voice shook and his words were soft.

"For some reason, they can draw blood anyway." My stomach grumbled loudly. "And it looks like you two need to take care of that immediately." He exited the room and the rest of his family followed. Stephan was the last to leave after a sad glance in my direction.

Edward and I were the only two in the room and this was the first time we had been able to talk alone. I took a deep breath and he advanced toward the bed and took a seat near my feet. Though I didn't _want_ him, there was an inexplicable pull that I felt.

I sat up slowly and moved so I was beside him on the bed. "Edward," I began. He took a deep breath, probably waiting for my bite. I surprised him by just chuckling. He looked at me in confusion. "I wanted to say that I forgive you. I may not think what you did was wise but I forgive you." I laid a hand on his thigh and he jumped. "Sorry, I'm ridiculously– "

My next word was going to be 'warm' but I was cut off by Edward's lips against mine. His lips were fierce and they spoke what he could not.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

I'm an idiot for leaving.

You're beautiful.

Everything was poured into that kiss and as I pulled away for unneeded air he moved his kisses to my neck. Damon's bite had disappeared during the change and Edward took advantage of this by nibbling my neck. I purred and then moved my head to the crook in his neck. "I'm sorry," I whispered before plunging my fangs into his neck. He twitched from the pain but didn't scream.

As I fed from Edward, I saw him. I saw his thoughts through his blood. I saw his childhood, his mother, his father, his change, his meeting me, leaving me, and the next images were the most painful of them all, him existing without me. I could taste the loneliness that polluted his blood for those select months. I saw from the pictures that he spent his days sobbing and missing me. _Oh, Edward_.

He gently removed me from his neck and took my wrist in his hand, kissing it before delving into the sensitive flesh. I yelped from the pain but then moaned from the heavenly pleasure he was giving me by drinking my blood. He growled and pulled away. "Bella, a werewolf? Jacob Black?"

I sighed and took my wrist from him. "You aren't my mother, Edward. You still wouldn't be, even if we were together so I can make my own decisions." An awkward silence followed and I sighed. "I'm sorry, that was harsh." Before I could say more he stormed from the room.

Well, that's one way to make up with your vampire exboyfriend.


	12. Chapter 10

After Edward had stormed off, Stephan entered. He was alone and I mentally thanked God for letting us have this alone time. We haven't had any time to talk about the kiss or the fact that I was know bonded to his brother…

I was pulled from my thoughts as Stephan sat beside me on the bed. He didn't say a word just stared at the floor as I stared at him. I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and he tensed for a moment before relaxing. "Stephan," I whispered softly. "What's wrong?"

He sighed and pulled on his hair. In that moment he reminded me so much of Edward that the hole in my heart ached for the first time since I had arrived in Fell's Church. He lifted his head and his gaze met mine, his eyes smoldered with hunger and for the first time, I wasn't afraid of becoming the prey. "I don't know if I can compete with my own brother again, Isabella."

My brows furrowed at his confession. "Compete with your brother _again_?"

He groaned in frustration. "Yes, _again_. Me and my brother are originally from Italy, during the Renaissance age. When I was about 20 and Damon was around 22, we met a young woman named Katherine. She was absolutely _stunning_. Do you remember the blue ring you found in my room?" I nodded. "It was Katherine's. When we met her, she was a vampire but she didn't tell us, of course, so we fell in love with who we thought was a normal human girl. One night, she came to me while I slept and she told me what she was. She said she was a vampire and that she wanted to give me eternity to spend with her. She bit me and after doing so handed me a blue ring identical to hers and told me that without the ring, I would turn to ash in the sun. Trusting her love for me, I walked outside the next day to find that she had changed my brother as well, promising him the same things. She confronted us both and told us that she loved both of us too much to choose so she changed both of us. We were furious. We both agreed that she could only love one of us forever but she didn't like the idea. So later, when we went to find her and talk to her about what decision she had made, there lay a pile of ash in Katherine's dress with a note and her ring."

I gasped in shock. "Oh, Stephan! That's terrible!"

He continued without replying to my comment. "The note said that she couldn't bear the burden of having to choose between us so she decided she wouldn't have either of us by committing suicide. My brother and I were heartbroken. We blamed each other for her death and when we returned to our manor, he challenged me to a swordfight. I agreed, anxious to kill him because of what he had done to Katherine. Little did we know that we weren't true vampires yet, we had to die before the change could be completed." He took a deep breath before he continued. "The fight ended with both of us striking a fatal blow to the chest. Our family encased us in the family tomb where we awoke hating each other a short while after."

I couldn't believe the pain that Stephan had gone through over Katherine. She broke him, like Edward had broken me. He still didn't know _my_ story. I decided to tell him. "Stephan, you should know about how Edward– "

"I already know, Isabella. He told me everything." Why would he do that? "I think he told me as a warning. He did sound a bit threatening while telling the story. Isabella, I don't think I can compete with Damon over you, I don't want to risk losing you."

I sighed and rubbed circles on his shoulder soothingly. "There's no competing. Yes, Damon is my sire but that doesn't mean that I'm going to fall madly in love with him, Stephan."

He shook his head. "You have no idea, Isabella. You may try to fight it but, in the end, every fledging becomes romantically attached to their sire somehow. You're southern friend would agree with me."

How did he know about Jasper's knowledge on mixed newborns? "Jasper?"

He nodded. "Yes, him. He's seen many transformations and I guarantee that's how he knew that the sun would hurt your eyes and why your eyes are blue and why you look completely different."

I shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. I don't know much about Jasper."

"Well, Darlin', how 'bout I tell ya?" Jasper was in the doorway in an instant. I shrugged and he moved to the rocking chair that sat in the corner of the room. "Stephan's right. When I served in the Confederate Army as Major Whitlock my job was to dispose of newborns after their first year."

Stephan cleared his throat. "Why after one year?"

Jasper's face held no emotion as he told his tale. "After one year, our kind weaken. We're still supernaturally strong but not as strong as a newborn. But there were a select few vampires that Maria, my sire, kept. She wouldn't tell me why but I could tell why when I looked at them. They weren't able to battle in sun because of the headaches it gave them and they didn't have a glowing red eyes of newborns. They had normal eyes that you would find on any human. Blue, brown, green, hazel, et cetera. They couldn't do house raids because they needed to be invited into a household and, much like common lore, they were allergic to crosses and holy water but not garlic." He paused. "That's how I knew what you were, Isabella. And Stephan is right again because I saw grown women with wedding bands on their fingers throw themselves at Maria's feet, their sire. They would beg to give her pleasure when she denied them something. They eventually went insane and couldn't be controlled so I had to dispose of them as well."

My throat went dry as Jasper spelled out my fate. "How long did they last?"

He sighed. "I don't remember exactly. I think the last one lost control at about five years. Give or take a few months."

My life as a vampire was going to only last five years? I would've lasted longer as a human! "Are you saying I'm going to go insane in five years?"

Jasper shook his head. "No, I'm saying from a cruel and unloving sire you'll go insane in five years."

Stephan growled. "I will _not_ allow my brother to hurt her like that."

I sighed, as much as he tried, he couldn't control how Damon treated me and he knew that. "Stephan, you can't make Damon treat me like a sire should. It's up to him how he treats me."

He turned to me. "Isabella, I will– "

He was starting to aggravate me now. "Stephan, as much as I appreciate you trying to protect me, you _can't_. Damon is my sire which means I'm going to need him. Edward isn't my sire, James and Damon are. Since James is dead, Damon is my only chance left at a 'normal' vampire life."

His eyes were sad as he stood and engulfed me in his arms. "I know, Isabella. I just don't want to lose you."

I shook my head. "You won't. I promise."

He laughed humorlessly. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Isabella." His statement stung and with the words hanging in the air, I left my room for the first time as a vampire and went downstairs and outside to see the world through my new eyes.

"My, my. What a beauty you turned into." The strange voice came from behind me and when I turned to face the owner of the voice, I found none other than Damon staring back at me. My knees grew weak as the eyes of my sire delved into my soul. "Hello, again, Isabella."


End file.
